Subject
Verb Agreement
Which one is the correct
sentence?
1.
One of my sisters are
going on a trip to United States.
2.
One of my sisters is going
on a trip to United States.
The
answer is number 2, because “One of” refers to singular subject
so singular subject need singular verb (is).
Subject,
do you know subject ?
Subject is the
person/people/thing(s) that do the activity.
What is VERB?
Verb is a word used to
describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the
predicate of a sentence.
Kind
of Verb divided into 3 such as : Action verbs, Linking
Verbs, and Helping Verbs.
·
Action Verb (Main
Verb)
Action verbs are words
that express action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.). Action
verbs can be either transitive (with object) or intransitive (without object).
Example :
1.
Abdus gave Becky the pencil. (kkt)
2.
He was pontificating
about art and history. (kki)
·
Linking Verb
A linking verb connects
the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or
describes the subject.
Example :
1.
Noun
(usually follow by to be) : Lisa is in love with Jason.
2.
Adjective
(usually follow by verb) : She looks pale.
·
Helping
Verb
Helping verbs are used
before action or linking verbs to convey additional information regarding
aspects of possibility (modals : can, could, may, might, shall, will, ought to,
should, would.) or time (was, did, has,
etc.). Modals always function as Helping Verbs.
Example :
1.
Tejo is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
2.
The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb)
dangerous.
3.
Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (Could helps
the main verb, learn.)
4.
Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the
main verb, drive.)
Main Rule Of “Subject Verb
Agreement”
Basic Principle:
Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
1. Subjects and verbs must agree
in number. This is the cornerstone
rule that forms the background of the concept.
Examples :
The dog growls
when it is angry.
The dogs growl
when they are angry.
2. Don’t get confused by the
words that come between the subject and verb; they do not affect agreement.
Example :
The dog, who is
chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
3. Prepositional phrases between
the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Example :
The colors of the
rainbow are beautiful.
4.
The words there and here are never subjects. the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to be taken to
identify it correctly.
Examples :
There are two reasons (plural subject) for this.
There is no reason for this.
Here are two apples.
There is a
problem with the balance sheet. Here are the papers you requested.
5. If two subjects are joined by and, they
typically require a plural verb form.
Examples :
The cow and
the pig are jumping over the moon
6. The verb is singular if the two subjects
separated by and refer to the same person or thing.
Example :
Red beans
and rice is my mom's favorite dish
7.
If one of the words each,
every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.
Examples
:
Everyone has finished
his or her homework.
Each of
the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the
library. (Don't
let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is
always singular — Each is responsible).
8. If the subjects are both singular and are
connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.
Examples:
Jessica or
Christian is to blame for the accident.
Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
9. The only time when the object of the preposition
decides plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some,
half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In
these sentences, the object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.
Example :
All of the
chicken is gone.
All of the
chickens are gone.
10.
The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or
time.
Example :
Four quarts
of oil was required to get the car running.
11.
If the
subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.
Examples :
Dogs and cats
are both available at the pound.
12.
If one
subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the
words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you
use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb.
Examples :
Either the bears
or the lion has escaped from the zoo.
Neither the
lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.
13.
Indefinite
pronouns (everything, anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc)
typically take singular verbs.
Examples :
Everybody wants
to be loved.
Everything is
gonna be alright.
14. Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both,
all, some) that always take the plural form.
Examples :
Few were left alive
after the flood.
Several students understand
the material.
15. If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural
form of the verb.
Examples :
To walk and
to chew gum require great skill.
16. When gerunds are used as the subject of a
sentence, they take the singular verb form of the verb; but, when they are linked
by and, they take the plural form.
Examples:
Standing in the
water was a bad idea.
Swimming in the
ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
17. Collective nouns like family, committee, herd,
senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
Examples :
The herd is stampeding.
Cooper family
always attends the annual party.
18. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are
treated as singular and take a singular verb.
Examples :
The Burbs is a
movie starring Tom Hanks.
Harry Potter has
reached Top 3 Best Seller books.
